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GZ deserve only the best so the pressure was on when they put their trust in me to make their Save The Dates. The two are having a rustic, waterfront wedding in Maine (dreamy!) and after browsing through a few of my previous projects, they opted for letterpress with a vellum insert to unclutter our little 3.5″x5″ Save The Dates.

Instructions:

I always start with a clean design slate with every couple but I do ask that they provide inspiration projects and after a few Q&A’s and prototypes, we get to the finished design. Typical things I ask to help get the design juices flowing:

It’s been 3 months and a day since my cousin, her husband and their parents hosted a beautiful late summer wedding. Invitations were put in the mail 7 months ago. And, it’s been an entire year since we decided to keep with their Save the Date Letterpress Coasters and designed letterpress coaster wedding invitations incorporating the U.S. Navy, their wedding colors, and a nod to the wedding venue – a bird sanctuary.

All this time has passed but it still warms my heart to have had the opportunity to contribute to their wedding planning journey. I freakin’ love these two people.

Chalkboard signs are all the rage and were fitting for her rustic wedding.

Instructions:

I’m better at digital work than I am free handing so these instructions by Indie Craft Parade helped me join in on the chalkboard fun without going back to art school to learn a thing or three thousand about typography and drawing.

It is a wonder that Avery or its community of users haven’t created Illustrator compatible versions of their templates. After much trial and error with the Word template offered by Avery for their 1 1/2″ Round Labels, I believe I’ve created a version for Mac and/or Illustrator users.

Unlike the invitations I made for previous events, the information that belonged on the invitation had to be gathered because my aunt took the lead on planning my cousin’s bridal shower with input from the mother of the groom and the Maid of Honor.

With so many people involved in various parts, I had to create a schedule with milestones and the responsible party to ensure a successful completion of the invitations.

I started with the following list:

Activity

Due Date

Assigned To

Provide Name & Contact information for person responsible for RSVPs

12 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Provide Date & Time of Event

12 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Provide RSVP Date

12 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Provide Location & Address of Event

12 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Provide Registry Information

12 weeks before event

Lead Planner / Bride to be

Provide Attire Requirements

12 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Identify Invitation Approvers

10 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Finish Design First Draft

10 weeks before event

Designer

Review and Comment

10 weeks before event

Approvers

Provide Estimate Quantity of Invitations

10 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Finish Final Design

10 weeks before event

Designer

Purchase Paper and Envelopes

10 weeks before event

Designer

Print Return Address

8 weeks before event

Designer

Print Invitations

8 weeks before event

Designer

Provide Final Mailing List

8 weeks before event

Lead Planner

Print Recipient Name and Address

7 weeks before event

Designer

Stuff Envelopes

6 weeks before event

Designer

Mail Invitations

6 weeks before event

Designer

The list then fed into my calendar to help me keep track of my overlapping commitment to three different events.

My cousin doesn’t ask for much but when she does it is usually a brilliant idea that would only be our pleasure to help bring to fruition. She asked for a tea party bridal shower. I’m not quite sure why but I proposed a secondary theme of vintage french linens to match. So, off we go to design the invitations!